Intermediate cane carrier



March 3, 1931. I H. P. ROBBINS ,7

' INTERMEDIATE CANE CARRIER Filed July. 26, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 3, 1931. H. P. ROBBINS INTERMEDIATE CANE CARRIER 5 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed July 26. 1927 I Ill/I March 3, 1931. ROBBlNs 1,794,491

INTERMEDIATE CANE CARRIER Filed July 26, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 3, 1931. H. P. ROBBINS 1,794,491

INTERMEDIATE CANE CARRIER Filed July 26, 1927 k 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 3, 1931. H. P. ROBBINS INTERMEDIATE CANE CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ww km Patented Mar. 3', I 1931 sms ROBBINS, or CHICAGO, InLIivoIs mmmnmsc 'm anaemia I a lication filed Ji11y 26, 1921?. "Serial No. 208,551.

This'invention relates to intermediate cane carriers whlchjcarry the bagasse'from one set of] crusher rolls to another in sugar cane crushing operations. v a

,5 Heretofore the bagasse conveyors have been carried by big bulky chains driven by sprocketsconnecte'd to the driving roller, and in most instances three of such chains have been employed. These chains have" been positioned between the sides of the conveyor frame and connected at suitable intervals to the aprons. Idlers have been positioned at intervals to supportthe return chains which swing down in long sweeping arcs and some- '1 times only'one set of idlers have been used to support'the chains of a long conveyor. This type'of chain drive has produced what is referred to in the art as a nut-cracker which results from the action of loose chains and'the tendency of the links to fold' or double upon themselves. The wear and tear, strains and stresses resulting from this con struction has been the cause of much damage to the conveyors whichis increased if the overlapping portions offthe aprons become bent or twisted. It is" almost impossible to get three chains tooperate uniformly and evenly, due to uneven-pitch of the sprockets or to stretching of the chains, or to wear, and any jamming of the bagasse as it is fed to a succeeding set of rolls often causes breakage of the'chains. Also, the big sweep of the return chains makes it "dangerous for the clean upman to'work' under theconve'yor and between the setsof rolls.

The objectof the invention is "to" provide means "for eliminating these defects of existing apparatus, to provide new and improved means for securing greater efficiency in the 'operation of intermediate cane carriers, to

Another object is to provide aplurality of opposite to that shown in Fig. 3.

rollers onthedriving or nose shaft and intermediate drive or nose shaft which will inter lock with aprons or pans of the conveyor and assist in driving the conveyor, and to support the aprons intermediate their ends to prevent g- Y Another object is to provide means for keeping the chains out of the juicy bagasse by attaching the chains to the outside edges of the aprons to reduce the number of chains formerly required. Another'objectis to provide means for supporting'the top andbottom of the chain to remove all strains on the chains, to prevent the return chain from sweeping in a long arc and to provide a clear space beneath the conveyor between the sets of rolls.

And a "further object is to providenovel means inthe assembly of the sprockets and the tail adjustment so that all'danger of the chains jumping a sprocket tooth is elim inated. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate a selected embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an intermediate cane carrier showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken transversely through the conveyor at the driving end.

Fig. 3.15 a detail sectional view' taken on line 3+3 of Fig. 2. i c

Fig. 4'is a detailsectional view at the end Fig. 5 is a detail-sectional view taken onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6'is an end elevation showing'the manner in which theapro'n is connected.

I Fig.7 is a detail'sec'tional view showing the manner in which the apron is connected to the chain. 4 g

Referring to the drawings 1 designates generally a set of rolls comprising the rollers 2, 3 and at. The roller 2 is driven in any suitable manner and drives the roller 3 by means of gears 5 and '6, and the roller l is driven by the roller 3 through the gear 6 and 7. The I roller 2 is provided with a sprocket 8 on one e dthl'fiilf and drives the chain 9 which is on the sprockets 15 and 16. The shaft 11 and r 13 are provided with sprockets 117, 17 which are mounted on each end of these shafts and drive the conveyor chains 18.

The conveyor chains are'of special roller type each chain being, in fact, a double chain comprising 2 sets of links pivotal'ly connected by pivot pins 21. A bushing 21 of less length than the pin is arranged on each pin. A roller 22 is arranged on each bushing between the outer set and the inner set of links of the chain. In the inner set of links 23, one end of. one link is mounted on the pin. and the ad jacent end of the next link is mounted on the bushing. The pan or apron 19 is fastened to the projection 20 on the link 23 by bolts or rivets. In the outer set of links 23; the end of one link is mounted onthe pin and thefadjacent end of the next-link is mounted on th b ushing. v

The pan flights travel between the fixed sides 12 which are sufficiently high to keep the blanket of bagasse from spilling or falling over thetop andare positioned so that the bottom edges of the sides abut the top of the chain link, Fig. 7; 1

The chains 18 extend under these sides, Fig. 7, and keep the chain out of the baga-sse and present it from coming. in contact with the cane juice thereby prolonging the life of the chain and assuring better operation of the chain rollers as there is nodanger of the bagasse becoming entangled or wedged in the rollers.

- To prevent the bagasse or parts thereof from seeping beneath the sides where the chain extends through, I provide a strip 12 which is attached to the sides and contacts withthe chain and engages the shoulders 20' formed on the links 23 as shown in Fig. 7.

' This strip is preferablyrmade of wood to eliminate undue friction at this point and allows more free and unrestricted movement of the chain.

The pans are provided with high ridges 24 and deep furrows 25 so that the bagasse carried to the rolls is readily forced between the rolls and prevents jamming at that point. The ends 26 of the pans are rounded circumferentially so that the pans interlock with each other and all danger of the ends separating or cutting into each other is eliminated. This construction of the pans has a tendency to push the blanket of bagasse, especially as the bagasse enters the rollers, and practically eliminates the possibility of chokeups at this 1 point. A plurality of rollers 27 are fixed to the shafts 11 and 13 and are adapted to engage the underside of the pans and interlock therewith, Fig. 5, to support the pans intermediate theirends and assist in propelling the conveyor. These rollers have the same number of teeth as the sprockets 15 and 16 to synchronize the operation of the conveyor.

Heretofore, large bulky chains were necessary to drive the conveyor due to the nut cracking (Effect on thechain and idlers and the entire weight of the chain bore directly on the idlers and sprocket. To provide a more efiic-ien-t" conveyor, and also to prevent the the nose of the conveyor, Figs. 3 and 5- to allow adjustment'of the nose relative, to the rolls where the bagasse is fed to: the rolls. Another tightener 31 is: provided totake up; the slack in the head chain 14 which connects the driving shaft 11 and the intermediate shaft 13 so'that this drive may be adjusted relative-to the nose. These tighteners are preferably operated by means of adjusting nuts 32 and 33 operating through members 34: and 35 permanently fixed to the frame.

To take up the slack in the conveyor chain's a tightener- 36, Fig. 4,. is arranged at the tail of the conveyor and is adjustable to move the tail shaft 37 longitudinally relative to the conveyor. This tightener comprises an arm 38'slidably mounted on'the frame and it sup ports one end of the tail shaft. Adjustment of the tightener is made by means of a set screw 39 threadedl y mounted in the member 40 fixedly secured to'the frame. A second tightener of the same construction (not shown) is like-wise mounted in the frame'and operates on the opposite end of the'tail shaft 37 so that accurate adjustment of both. conveyor chains 18 is assured- 7 My novel cane carrier will preventjainming of the bagasse by forcing it between the rollers, and theheavy strains and stresses to which carriers have heretofore been subjected are reduced to a minimum. The drive causes positive operation of the carrier, and the chain parts are removed from contact with the cane juice thereby assuring longer life of the carrier. Also, the rails support the conveyor chains and prevent a drag on the conveyor and a nut-cracking effect on the aprons and chains.

Changes may be made in the form, con-' struction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention and the I.

right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as may fairly fall within the following claims.

I claim: 1. An intermediate cane carrier comprising a frame, a nose shaft and a tail shaft mounted in-the frame at the ends thereof, a

head shaft mounted in the frame above and behind the nose shaft, a conveyor comprising overlapping pans and side chains, sprock ets at the ends of said shafts engaging said chains, power means for driving the nose shaft, a chain drive between the nose and head shafts, means for adjusting the nose shaft relative to the headand tail shafts, and independent means for adjusting the chain drive between the nose and head shafts.

2. An intermediate cane carrier comprising a frame, a nose shaft and a tail shaft mounted in the frame at the ends thereof, a head shaft mounted in the frame above and behind the nose shaft, a conveyor comprising overlapping pans and side chains, said side chains each comprising an outer set of overlapping links and an inner set of overlapping links, rollers interposed between said sets of links, and pins articulating the links of said sets, the links of the inner set having inwardly directed projections and the pans being secured at their ends to said projections, sprockets at the ends of said shafts engaging the rollers of said chains, and means for driving the nose shaft and the head shaft. I

3. An intermediate cane carrier comprising a frame, a nose shaft and a tail shaft mounted in the frame at the ends thereof, a head shaft mounted in the frame above and behind'the nose shaft, a conveyor comprising overlapping pans and side chains, said side chains comprising an outer set of overlapping links v and an inner set of overlapping links, rollers interposed between said sets of links, the links of the inner set having inwardly directed projections and the pans being secured at their endsto said projections, shoulders on the inner links above said projections, up

right sides on the frame abutting the tops of the chains, strips on said sides abutting said shoulders to co-operate with the sides in retaining the material on the conveyor, sprockets at the ends of said shafts engaging the rollers of said chains, and means for driving the nose shaft and the head shaft.

' HUGH P. ROBBINS. 

